Abstract: Objective  To explore the application of small inner diameter cephalic vein in construction of autogenous arteriovenous fistula (AVF).   Methods  A retrospective study was conducted on patients undergoing AVF construction at the Department of Nephrology, Chongqing Songshan Hospital from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023. According to the inner diameter of the cephalic vein at the preoperative surgical site, they were divided into a small inner diameter group and a conventional inner diameter group. The operation was performed by one surgeon. Brachial artery flow rate at 8 weeks after operation, maximum pump-controlled blood flow during dialysis, and urea clearance rate were compared between the two groups. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 22.0 software, and P＜0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.  Results  By comparing maturity and use of AVF between the small inner diameter group and the conventional inner diameter group, we found that there were no significant differences in brachial artery flow rate (χ2=2.009, P=0.156), dialysis maximum pump-controlled blood flow rate (χ2=2.509, P=0.113), and urea clearance rate (χ2=2.979, P=0.084) after 8 weeks between the two groups.  Conclusion  There were no statistical differences in maturity and use of AVF between the small inner diameter group and the conventional inner diameter group. For patients with preoperative cephalic vein diameter less than 2.0 mm, but greater than or equal to 1.5 mm, the success rate of AVF construction is still high, warranting to be tried surgically.

Key words: End-stage renal disease, Hemodialysis, Vascular access, Autologous arteriovenous fistula